Where You Belong
by TCGeek
Summary: Though he would never do anything to ruin her dreams, he always knew inside that with him, was where she belonged. Three chaptered ficlet.
1. Leaving

**This ficlet, has been swimming around in my brain for WAY too long... I've been dying to write it since before finals even started.**

**This will be two chapters, the second to come very soon, I promise. It is based on a song that I will reveal next chapter - the chapter that will act as a partial song-fic. I know many people don't like songfics but the song fits into the atmosphere, and whatever, you'll see when I finish it. :D**

**Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this...!**

* * *

"Ugghh…"

With a groan, Derek walked back into his and Angie's office after surgery, his muscles aching and throbbing for some rest. He plopped down onto the couch and leaned forward, resting his forehead on his knees as his assistant just giggled, closing the door behind them.

"Great job today, Ang…" he still managed to say just like every other day, his voice muffled by the fabric of his pants.

"You too, Dr. Stiles…" she replied, rolling her eyes when he lifted his head up to look at her, raising his right eyebrow.

"Sorry… Derek."

In settings where professional cordiality was not warranted, Derek had insisted that his assistant nurse of two years call him by his real name – he preferred when other people called him Dr. Stiles, but with her, it just didn't fit. He smiled satisfactorily and with another unhappy groan, laid his head back down on his knees, the muscles in his back nearly killing him.

And just as he was about to get up and go about his day with the pain, he felt a pair of hands knead into his back, rubbing firmly and deeply into his tired muscles.

"Mmmm…" he groaned, slipping off the couch and sitting on the floor. Angie took a seat right behind him on the couch and positioned him between her legs, holding his head in her left hand as her right hand rubbed the right side of his neck.

"You always know how to make me feel better…" he mumbled, his eyes now closed as he enjoyed the massage.

"Well, it's pretty easy to tell – what with all the grumbling you do…" she joked, giggling when he scoffed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… But I don't mean that. I mean that you just, know exactly where it hurts…" he said, sighing happily when her hands traced downwards, her thumbs working the muscles on both sides of his spine.

Angie smiled warmly. "Are you trying to say that you'd be lost without me, Dr. Sti—aah, Derek?"

As her fingers traced up and began rubbing through his scalp, Derek dropped what would've been him giving her a hard time, and hung his head with another happy sigh. "Normally I would put up a fight but that feels so good I'll admit it right out – I would be lost without you."

Breaking up Angie's giggles was her ringing cell phone on her desk.

"Beehhh…!?" Derek whined as she removed her hands from his hair and stood up, walking over to her pink phone. She giggled at his whining briefly. "Just, hang on… I'll be back in a second."

"Hello…?" she answered, leaning against her desk and smiling at the mess she had caused with Derek's hair. He didn't even bother to try fixing it, instead just looking at her with his puppy dog eyes as she listened to the caller on the other end.

"Oh… uhh… um, yeah…" she said, her smile fading quickly.

Derek immediately dropped the puppy dog eyes at her nervous fumbling. She suddenly looked away from him and lowered the tone of her voice, eventually opting to remove herself from their office completely. Though he tried, he couldn't make out what she was saying, her usually quirky voice hidden behind hushed tones. Very suddenly the call ended and she walked back into the room, fueling his confusion further when she refused to make eye contact with him.

"I'm u-uh… going to, um… go do rounds, Dr. Stiles…" she said softly, eyes never meeting his, instead fixed on the ground. He stared at her confusedly, but before he could get anything out he found himself staring at the back of a door. And as it shut he felt the aches in his back return in full force, reminding him that he most likely was just going to have to pop an acetaminophen and deal with it.

--

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean what do I mean? The question explains itself." Derek replied, answering Tyler's question with a question of his own. "Do you have any idea what's going on with Angie?"

"And that's why I'm asking you what you mean…" Tyler explained. "She doesn't seem any different to me – why do you ask?"

Derek sighed, leaning back against the chair in Tyler's office, his brown eyes imploring the blonde for an answer. "We were in our office the other day laughing and joking around and then she got a phone call – and ever since she barely makes eye contact, stopped carpooling with me, and seems like she's avoiding me at all costs…"

Indeed, two days had passed since Angie's sudden discomfort with seeing Derek had started, leaving the doctor to wonder exactly what it was he had done wrong.

"Well I really haven't seen the two of you together – she's not acting any different towards me, if that's what you're asking… and I haven't heard anything about her…" he mused, stopping short when he saw the aforementioned blonde walk briskly into the room, her sunny disposition immediately crashing into that same discomfort Derek had seen for the past few days. Her stare shot towards the ground and her voice grew soft, arms nervously coming to rest in front of her.

"Um… Dr. Chase – you're needed in surgery…" she said quickly, glancing up at him once and once at Derek, whose expression looked as though he was ready to cry.

Tyler looked back at her questioningly, though she made it very clear she was in no way interested in explaining herself. "O-Okay Angie… Thank you."

And with that she turned around and left, not giving another glance at her doctor before doing so. Tyler broke the silence with a low whistle, leaning back against his chair. "That's real rough dude… something's gotta be up…"

Derek just nodded, his defeated gaze fixed on his shoes. "I've tried pulling her aside to tell her that I was sorry if I did something to upset her, but she just said she was fine and found a reason to leave…"

"I'll talk to Leslie later – if Angie told anyone, it was most likely her…" Tyler said, rising from his chair. "Until I find out, hang in there man…" he said with a reassuring pat on the back, earning some thanks from Derek before the brunette walked out of the room and back to his office, moping all the way.

And Tyler watched him go with a slightly heavy heart, knowing that this was tearing the poor guy up inside – he was the only one who knew how Derek truly felt about her. Shaking it off to prepare for surgery he removed himself from behind his desk and began walking towards the door, when he was stopped in the doorway by Leslie.

"Don't worry, I got the message… I'm coming…" he said reassuringly, holding his hands up in defense. She giggled at his joke briefly before she turned serious, looking up at him curiously.

"Was Derek just in here?" she asked, earning a nod from the blonde.

"Yeah, he's really worried about Angie… do you know what's up?" he asked nonchalantly, his trademark smirk turning into a concerned frown as Leslie stepped into his office and closed the door.

"Leslie…?" he questioned, seeing her lock the door.

"Promise me you won't tell him…" she said, honey brown eyes demanding yet laced with sadness.

Tyler shook his head. "I can't do that – whatever's going on is really killing him… he's worried, he deserves to know… He thinks it's his fault, whatever she's upset about."

Leslie shook her head. "It's nothing he did at all. But if you're going to tell him, I can't tell you…"

Tyler bit his lip. "Is he ever going to find out?"

The nurse nodded. "Very soon. Either later today or tomorrow. Probably tomorrow."

"Can I at least tell him that it's not his fault, and just say I don't know the rest?"

Leslie sighed. "Fine."

"Okay then, I promise…" he replied, feeling like a bad friend at the moment. "Spill."

She looked up at him and intertwined her pinky with his, making him cement his promise. With a sigh she dropped his hand from hers, her expression dropping into a frown.

"Angie's moving to Boston…"

--

Ever since that phone call had come through for Angie, Derek's stomach hadn't twisted itself out of the knot it now lay contorted in. He constantly worried that he had done something, and had literally picked apart every action he had displayed towards her over the past few days, wondering where he could've gone wrong. Coming up with very little the situation plagued him further, making him then begin to worry that something was wrong with her.

"Maybe she's sick…?" he mumbled out loud to himself, landing himself back at square one when he realized that it absolutely had to do with him – if it didn't, why was she only acting this way towards him?

The question was met with a loud bang, as Derek's forehead dropped against his desk – he was tired of thinking.

His moment of peace was quickly interrupted by clicking heels entering the room, belonging to the one he had been fretting over so much. His head popped up off the desk just in time to see Angie glance at him, her eyes diverting away from him once again. She quickly rummaged through her desk and grabbed her pink stethoscope, closing the drawer from which she pulled it before turning to walk from the room.

"Angie, wait…!"

Derek wasn't exactly sure why he had blurted out like that, especially because now that she was stopped, he had no idea what he was going to say. He instead just sat staring at her sadly, trying to find words to explain to her how much this was killing him – how worried he was. But little did he know she already knew, and it was the reason she had been avoiding contact with him – she hated to see him so sad.

"Please… Tell me what's going on." he said softly, his sincere plea causing tears to well in her eyes. She broke her stare with him and awkwardly looked down at the stethoscope she held in her hands, twisting it around aimlessly. Eyes still fixed on her hands, she opened her mouth to speak, to once again try to change the subject, desperate to end the tense silence between them.

And that was how Sidney Kasal found the two, both of them growing exponentially more uncomfortable in his presence. He felt the thick, tense air the minute he entered their office, seeing both of them barely making eye contact with each other, let alone him.

"Dr. Stiles, Nurse Thompson…" he greeted them, ready to get right to the point. Even though it had nothing to do with him, even he was itching to remove himself from the atmosphere. But instead of verifying his thoughts, he misinterpreted their awkwardness as brought about by Angie breaking the news to him, though she still had yet to.

"Well, I can see that you two are in the middle of something…" he said, looking over at Derek. "Whenever you have a chance though, Derek, I'll need to have a word with you about your new assistant…"

Sidney trailed off as Angie's eyes sprang wide open, trying to stop him before he said the words, but to no avail – it had been done.

The words hit Derek straight in the heart, every event from the past few days finally making sense – she didn't want to tell him that she was leaving him. He dropped back dejectedly into his seat, staring at her with a slightly opened mouth, seeing that she was giving Sidney the look of death. He just looked back at her and shrugged silently, mouthing, "I thought he knew…" to her.

"…New, assistant?"

Angie dropped her anger instantly at Derek's words, turning to finally look him in the eye, ready to cry as soon as she took note of his expression. He looked positively devastated, the sparkle in his brown eyes replaced by a multitude of unanswered questions, hitting him so quickly he wasn't exactly sure where to start.

"Angie…" he said in a more serious tone when she gave him no answer, his eyebrows lowering slightly. "Angie, what is he talking about?"

Again she said nothing, the tears gathering in her eyes making her unable to speak – at that point, she figured that nothing she said would really make a difference anyway.

And in her silence Sidney stepped forward awkwardly, offering an explanation to a very distraught Derek.

"Angie has taken a very prestigious position at Beth Israel in Boston…" he began, noting that while Derek was listening to him, his eyes never strayed from his soon to be ex-assistant, expression silently asking her why as she stared back, unable to offer anything besides her accumulating tears. "We're in the process of interviewing right now, as she leaves for the new position next week…"

"Next WEEK!?" he said in an uproar, rising to his feet quickly, his hands resting on his desk in front of him. Sidney took this as his cue to exit the room, leaving the two of them to deal with it.

"D-Derek…" she started, squeezing the life out of her stethoscope.

"You're leaving…? And in a week?! Angie – were you ever… you know, gonna tell me?!" he yelped, seeing her jump back slightly at his outburst.

"I-I… I didn't know h-how…" she stammered, tears now flowing freely.

Derek sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "It's pretty easy… you walk up and you say, 'Hey, Derek… I know that we've spent two of the best years of your life together, but I've decided to move across the country and never see you again…!'" he ended, throwing his hands up in the air.

"D-Derek, please…" she started again, unable to come up with anything else – though he had paid her a slight compliment in the middle of his outburst it had still hit her hard, making her feel even more horrible. He just sighed and closed his eyes at her silence, hanging his head slightly in his disbelief.

"…I just don't see how you could do something like this, Angie… we've been through everything together…" he continued, hearing her begin to lightly sob. He contemplated telling her everything – that he was head over heels in love with her, that the thought of not having her by his side every day made him sick, made him feel as though his life would be empty… but he couldn't do it, knowing that obviously this was something she really wanted – otherwise, she wouldn't be doing it.

She watched with wide eyes as Derek reached in his top drawer and removed his keys, slamming it shut and locking it, all the while never looking at her.

"Derek, w-wait, where are you…?" she asked, noticing as he walked closer to her that his eyes were red and swollen, trying as best he could to fight back his emotions. They were ready to come to the surface and that's why he was leaving, unable to stand the suffocating situation any longer.

"Tell Sidney I took the rest of the day off." he bluntly said, stopped as she stepped in front of him, tossing her stethoscope back onto her desk with a clatter, her hand now pressed into his chest, stopping him from leaving just yet. He looked towards the door, still refusing to look her in the eye as he waited for her to speak.

"P-Please, don't go… we have to talk about this…" she plead, sniffling lightly.

It was with those words he picked up his eyes to look at her, his normally happy face now drained by feelings of hurt and misery, eyes clouded with pain as he looked at someone he thought until just then, he could be with for the long haul.

"There's nothing left to say…" he whispered, shaking his head as he pushed past her and slammed the door behind him, leaving her to slump down into their couch, crying into her hands.

Leslie Sears watched from the nurse's station as Derek walked down the hall and towards the exit, keys firmly gripped in his hand, his expression reflecting hurt and defeat. Knowing instantly what had happened she walked briskly to his and Angie's office, finding the distraught nurse a crying mess on their couch.

"Oh, Angie…" she cooed, walking over and taking a seat next to the blonde, rubbing her back soothingly. "I'm guessing he didn't take it well…?"

She let out a pained sob and shook her head. "N-Not at a-all… he h-hates me…"

Leslie sighed, pulling her friend in for a quick hug. "He doesn't hate you Angie… he's just probably very upset – all of this happened kind of quickly, you know?"

Angie nodded, pulling out of their hug slightly calmer with a sniffle. "I know… its happening fast for me too. But, he t-thought I was going across the country so I didn't have to see him anymore…"

Leslie stayed silent, unsure exactly of what to say.

"…I would stay if he wanted me to… I-If he told me that he wanted me h-here and that he wanted me to stay with him, I would s-stay… I would, in a heartbeat…"

"So, why don't you tell him that?" she asked, handing Angie a Kleenex.

"Because…" she replied, wiping her eyes. "I shouldn't have to – if he really didn't want me to go, he would've said so… on his own."

Leslie nodded, seeing Angie's point. It would do no good for her and Tyler to meddle in things, because it simply had to be sincere.

"Instead he's just going to hate me forever…" she finished, plopping back against the couch.

"He doesn't hate you… Angie, you guys have been together for two years. He's told us, and you MANY times that you're what holds him together… you're his rock, his best friend. And call me crazy, but I still think he loves you…" Leslie said with a smirk, watching Angie roll her eyes.

"Yeah right…" she scoffed. "If only it were that easy."

"I mean it Angie… this can't be easy for him, and you have to realize that. So just, give him some time, and knowing Derek, he'll come around and you guys will be able to talk. And then, who knows what'll happen…" she finished, rising to her feet with a reassuring smile.

"I sure hope so…" Angie said, wiping the last of the moisture from her eyes. "Thanks Les, I appreciate it…"

The aforementioned nurse just smiled and hugged Angie once more, shortly after removing herself from the room, closing the door behind her.

"Eek!" she shrieked, jumping nearly three feet in the air as Tyler appeared in front of her, laughing at her reaction. "Don't do that!" she chastised, walking quickly away from him and back to the nurse's station, though he was right on her heels the whole time.

"Hey, wait up a sec…" he said, whirling her around to face him with a goofy smile on his face. "So… is it time to meddle yet?" he asked, watching as she giggled and then became serious, shaking her head disappointedly.

"I'm afraid not this time… this is one that just, has to work itself out…" she said disappointedly, grabbing a clipboard from the counter.

"Noooo…!" Tyler whined quietly. "Leslie, you _know_ how Derek feels about her… we can't let her just, move across the country – he'll seriously be devastated." he said, his face reflecting that of complete seriousness.

She sighed. "But, there's really nothing we can do… she said that if he wanted for her to stay, he would've said so himself. And if he doesn't, then she's just going to leave."

Tyler groaned. "I swear, those two…"

"I know…" Leslie replied with a giggle. "In love, and they don't even know it yet."

The blonde sighed, raking a hand though his hair before a thought skipped his mind, causing his eyes to light up, his fingers snapping. "Heyy… I've got an idea."

Leslie giggled. "Oh, this should be good…"

Tyler batted the air in front of him with his hand. "Nah, it's not a crazy scheme this time… I was just going to say that we should have a going away party for her. Maybe someplace cool downtown, like, The Blue Note…" he mused, thinking of the quaint music club as fitting for an intimate party.

Leslie's brown eyes widened excitedly, a smile trickling over her face. "That's a GREAT idea! And maybe because he knows it's the last chance he'll have, we can get them alone so they can talk, and he can tell her how he really feels…"

"I'll go tell Cybil – she's a huge help with these things…" she said, scurrying off quickly as Tyler moved in the other direction to tell the rest of the staff.

--

Five days had passed. It was the day of Angie's going away party and her last day at Caduceus – she was leaving for Boston the very next day, and Derek wasn't handling it very well. Instead of just avoiding her he avoided everyone, a quiet shell of his normal self, refusing to say more than was absolutely needed and straying away from those he was normally close to.

"I swear if his frown gets any deeper it's going to be dragging on the floor…" Victor said, standing next to Tyler in the hallway, discussing a patient.

"Leave him alone man, he's having a rough time…" Tyler replied, leaving Victor in the hallway and following Derek into his office. He sat down at his desk and grabbed a chart, slowly beginning to work on his paperwork. The blonde walked in to see Derek working diligently, Angie looking on at him from her own desk with a lost stare, having given up on trying to talk to him days ago.

"Angie, can you excuse us for a minute…?" Tyler asked quietly, seeing the nurse nod and remove herself from the room. He closed the door and paced towards his best friend, sitting at the chair opposite his desk.

"Dude…" he said, trying to pull his attention from the paperwork in his hands. Derek refused to lift his gaze from the work until Tyler ripped it and the pen from his hands, a very frustrated glare coming from the now taskless surgeon.

"Give me back my stuff."

"Not till you tell me what the hell's the matter with you."

Derek's eyes slimmed angrily. "You know what's wrong with me."

Tyler raised his eyebrows. "I know you're upset, but geez… I figured you would've snapped out of it by now."

"How could I?!" he exclaimed. "Excuse me for being upset that someone so close to me is leaving… that Sidney was the one to tell me… that she avoided me and made me worry for so long, just to find out that she had made such a huge decision without even giving me the slightest idea! I think I have a right to be upset!"

"Derek, I know that you're upset… but come on… snap back to Earth here for a little while… You've avoided human contact all week. You may not wanna talk to Angie, but you can't avoid talking to me."

Derek just groaned and rubbed his face with his hand, dropping it listlessly back into his lap.

"What am I supposed to say, Tyler?" he asked. "She leaves for Boston tomorrow, and I get my new assistant on Tuesday. I have to start all over, and it doesn't matter because it's not like anyone can come close to replacing her anyway…" he blurted out, lowering his head in his embarrassment.

"So, why don't you… you know, uh. TELL HER THAT?!" Tyler hissed, causing Derek's expression to drop further.

"This is something she wants. If she didn't want it, she wouldn't have taken it. And I'm not about to be that guy that steps in the way of her dreams to make myself happy. I won't." he said bluntly.

Tyler just sighed outwardly, resting his hands over his face. "Who said anything about standing in the way of her dreams, dude?" he asked. "If you tell her and she doesn't feel the same way, she'll still go… if she does feel the same way, then maybe you two can talk it out…"

Derek just shook his head. "I'm happy that she found something she's excited about, I really am… I'm, just having a hard time showing it, that's all…"

"You need to tell her how you feel."

The brunette shook his head again slowly. "If she wants to stay, then she'll stay. And if not, then I guess… I guess I'll just have to move on…" he said quietly, glancing out the window at sparkling Angeles Bay, knowing that never in a million years would he be able to move on from her – she was perfect.

"If she means that much to you, I don't understand why you're not willing to fight for her…"

Derek sighed, blinking once at Tyler. "Believe me, I'd love to… but I can't. It's selfish."

Tyler rose from his seat with a slight disappointment, hoping that he would've been the one to talk Derek out of his inaction. It had taken a lot for him to not spill what Angie had told Leslie but he managed not to, leaving it in the hands of fate instead.

"I know you said you're not coming to her party tonight, but if you really care about her as much as you say you do, at least show up and wish her luck…" he said matter-of-factly, watching Derek just shake his head again.

"I don't think I can…" he replied, seeing Tyler hold up a hand to stop him.

"Just, think about it. Please. If you really are going to let her go, do you really want to end it like this?"

Derek just remained staring out the window, letting out a small sigh. "I'll think about it."

Tyler smirked. "Alright, I'm gonna get going home to help Leslie set up. I really hope to see you tonight dude."

"See ya…"

Derek sighed as the door shut behind his best friend, his eyes still dancing over the sparkling coastline, thoughts running through his brain at an incredible pace. Broken up from the moment was a click of the door again, this time Angie stepping inside. Knowing it was her just by the way she opened the door he remained staring out the window, hearing her sadly sigh as she sat down in her own chair, turning towards him.

"Derek…?" she asked quietly, watching him slowly lift his gaze from the window, looking at her with slightly raised eyebrows, his expression warm for the first time in days.

"Hmm?" he replied, seeing a small smile make its way onto her face.

"Um… it's nothing… I just, wanted to make sure you were alright, that's all…" she said quietly.

And looking into her eyes Derek rose from his desk and paced forward, hands in his pockets. Would it really be so selfish to tell her how much she meant to him?

"A-Angie…" he started, taking a deep breath, ready to give into Tyler's berating and just put it all out there. But as he looked on at her and her smile, he realized he couldn't take the chance in hurting her, instead diverting off to something else.

"I'm fine…" he said with a slight forced smile, sighing before he left the room, seeing the sad expression on her face return in full force.

"Maybe, for them…" he thought as he walked out of their office, his heart heavy, "…it just wasn't meant to be."

* * *

**Oh Derek, you sap... tell the woman how you feel!**

**So, will he:  
A: Show up and lay his cards out there?  
B: Not show up at all?  
C: Show up and say nothing?**

**You'll see -- next chapter! :D**


	2. A Missed Chance

**Okay, so instead of being two chapters, I think this'll be three. MAYBE four, if I suck and can't finish it in the next chapter :D**

**So yeah - I've had a lack of inspiration lately, and working on Hostage is kicking my butt. It's a difficult chapter, but hopefully, it'll be worth it! It's close people - close!**

**Anyway, I hope this tides everyone over for a little bit - Enjoy!**

* * *

The eve of Angie's departure was a sad day for all her friends, though smiles, laughs, and memories were the perfect covering of unshared feelings. Angie had no idea the party that awaited her at the small bar that Leslie had talked her into going to, but she would soon find out.

"Leslie, really… I'm not sure I'm in the mood to go out right now. I had other things I wanted to get done before I left, and getting drunk was not on my list." Angie said as Leslie pulled her car into the parking lot of the Blue Note and turned the engine off. The two women sat in silence as Angie stared disappointedly out the windshield – truth was, she was planning on visiting Derek to give him the goodbye he deserved.

"Come on Angie – with you leaving so sudden, you've gotta make one last night for your best friend… please?"

Angie sighed once slowly, exiting the car without another word. As the warm night air blew her long hair over her shoulders she tried to fight back tears – after all they had been through, it was really going to end like this.

"Ready?" Leslie asked with concern, seeing that Angie had stopped in her tracks. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she nodded, forcing a smile through what felt like a permanent frown.

"Ready." she replied softly, walking into the lobby of the small music bar. Leslie ushered her forward with a small smile and a nod, and Angie walked ahead, pushing open the double doors to reveal all her closest work friends.

"Surprise!" they yelled, smiling and clapping when they saw her jump back and place her hand over her mouth, though it failed to hide her broad smile.

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, looking them all over. They had shut the entire place down just for her, the usually lively club now a quaint, quiet place with those closest to her in attendance. Leslie ran down the stairs and joined Tyler, Cybil, Greg, Victor, Robert, Sidney and a few other Caduceus and Hope employees as they watched a shell-shocked Angie pace down the stairs as well, the smile instantly fading from her lips when she reached the bottom.

Derek wasn't there.

--

At the time the party was going on, the aforementioned surgeon sat in his apartment on the couch in his living room, staring out the window at the city of Angeles Bay. The apartment was completely dark, save for the lights that shone in the window, just barely illuminating him as his chin rested miserably on the top of the back of his couch, watching the world go on below him. It literally took every ounce of strength he had not to run to her party and tell her everything on his mind – that, he needed her to stay.

Yet as his heart slowly coaxed him into going, his mind immediately talked him out of it. He knew in his heart that he would never be able to tell her that, because it would go down as the most selfish thing he could ever do.

Though as a longing sigh poured from his chest, he took a second thought to that. Was it really? Was it really selfish to try to keep the person you love more than anything from doing something so drastic – so drastic that given enough time, you may never see them again? Was it selfish to want to chase her to the gate of the airport and convince her that if she stayed, he would spend every day trying to make her feel as amazing as he felt every time she even looked at him? Was it selfish to want her to stay, for the sheer fact that he felt as though he would be nothing without her?

And was it selfish to want her to stay because the thought of her with anyone but him pained him so much he felt like ripping his heart from his chest?

Yes. It was beyond selfish, for one reason, and one reason only:

If she felt the same way, she wouldn't be leaving.

Derek sighed again gently as his cheek pressed against the back of the couch again, closing his eyes. He didn't care what all the other people of Angeles Bay were doing – come tomorrow, this city would have nothing more to offer him now that she wasn't in it.

"_Maybe…"_ he thought. _"Maybe, she just wants me to admit I want her to stay. Maybe the reason she's leaving is because she feels like I don't need her…"_

He gently pushed away from the couch and rose to his feet with a determined sigh – he was going to tell her.

Though seconds later, Derek still noticed that he was standing in the same spot, unmoving. With dejection he dropped back onto the couch and held his head in his hands.

"I can't risk it…" he mumbled quietly to himself, just as a bright light lit up the room, his cell phone buzzing away on the coffee table in front of him. He looked at it for a second before his hand reached out and grabbed it, looking at the front screen with a squint, as the bright light was an unwelcome change from the darkness he had enshrouded himself in.

"Tyler Chase"

Sighing again Derek gingerly reached forward and placed it back onto the coffee table, collapsing back into the couch with a pillow tightly clutched in his lap. He knew Tyler was calling to try to convince him to go to the party and say goodbye to Angie, something that proved to be too hard to do.

"I'm sorry Angie… but I can't." he whispered, curling back into the couch. He reached to his right and grabbed the remote to his stereo, clicking on the radio to keep him company as he sat in silence, mourning the loss of a love he would never know.

--

"Nothing…" Tyler said as Derek's phone went to voicemail another time.

"Try him again!" Leslie exclaimed under her breath. The pair were standing out in the lobby now, trying desperately to reach Derek. "He can't do this – he can't let her leave without telling her how we ALL KNOW he feels…!"

Tyler put up a hand to stop her from yelling as he began to leave a message.

"Dude, its Tyler. Seriously, if you don't come tonight, Angie's going to be crushed, and I know you don't wanna do that… Listen, just call me back, please? For real, call me… see ya."

He clicked his phone shut and scrunched his mouth to the side, clicking his tongue a few times as he thought.

"I don't know Les… you saw it from the beginning, he's not taking it well…" he explained gently.

"But, we can't just…!" she interjected, pleading to him. "Come on – you know those two are meant for each other…"

"I know they are…" he said, dialing Derek again.

"If he doesn't pick up this time, I'm going to his house to drag his ass down here myself…" he grumbled, seeing Leslie smile out of the corner of his eye.

--

A short while later Tyler and Leslie walked back into the party – everyone had eaten and was now conversing over drinks with the guest of honor, and still, there was no sign of Derek.

"Look natural…" Leslie said as her and Tyler slipped back into the room, both of them shifting uncomfortably and then forcing fake smiles as Angie caught their gaze.

"Dammit…" Tyler said softly behind his clenched smile. "She's coming over here, what do we do?"

Not knowing anything else to say, Leslie elbowed him in the ribs, hard.

"OW!" he cried, holding his chest. "What was that for?"

"To get you to shut up!" she said in a hushed tone, just as Angie approached.

"Hey Ang – are you having fun?" Leslie chirped, stepping down off the stairs and next to her best friend, looking her in the eye.

"He's not coming, is he?" she bluntly asked, leaving both Leslie and Tyler to stutter and look at each other. They both smiled and offered comforting words, before Angie interjected them again.

"Guys, stop it. Derek's not coming… is he?" she asked again, feeling a lump rise up in her throat. She swallowed hard, pushing it back down as Leslie placed her hand gently on Angie's shoulder.

"We um… we don't know, Ang…" she said quietly. "We've been trying to call him, but he won't answer."

Angie looked away from the two of them and just nodded, her fingers tracing up and down the stem of the drink in her hand. Instead of saying anything else she just turned and walked away sadly, instantly greeted by a slightly tipsy Cybil who tried cheering her up.

And just watching her go were Tyler and Leslie, sighing in unison, feeling completely helpless toward the situation

--

An hour later the party was winding down, and Tyler was still taking full advantage of the open DJ stand, playing songs that seemingly annoyed everyone but him.

"Get out of here…" Sidney said, shoving Tyler out of the way just as the cha-cha slide began playing for the third time. The blonde huffed and walked offstage as Sidney turned on something a bit more mellow – something more suitable for an upscale club like the Blue Note. Angie turned around and smiled at Sidney, giving him a thumbs up to the music change.

"You're welcome…" he said with a laugh, walking towards her. "But, I actually have to get going…"

"Oh, alright…" she said with a sad smile as Sidney reached forward and embraced her in a small hug, patting her back twice. "Thank you for coming…"

"Of course Angie – good luck in Boston… don't forget about us alright?" he said with a smirk as she nodded back.

"I won't, sir… I can't thank you enough for everything…" she said with a sincere smile.

"Any time you want to come back…" he said, causing her to giggle. "We'll always have a space open for you. Remember that."

Angie thanked him again and bid him farewell, now left at the party with a few other employees, Greg, Cybil, Tyler, and Leslie.

"I'm tired…" Angie sighed with a giggle, grabbing a glass of water. "I think I should probably get going – make sure I don't forget anything for tomorrow…"

Leslie grabbed Angie gently by the crook of her elbow and pulled her aside, the two of them now standing alone on the small dance floor.

"Angie… just, stay a little longer – he'll be here…"

"No…" she replied, shaking her head. "No, he won't be. If he was going to come, he would've come already… he, doesn't care that I'm leaving…" she said, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes. She noticed Leslie look at her sympathetically and place a hand on her arm, but she simply stepped away from it and looked away, forcing herself not to cry.

"But, it's not a big deal…" Angie finished, green eyes now diverted to the ground.

"Angie…" Leslie started gently. "It is a big deal… it's a very big deal."

She stopped, trying to think of something to say.

"Oh!" she exclaimed softly. "Why don't you go to him… be the bigger person and say goodbye. Even if he doesn't want to talk, I know you'll be sad if you don't get to at least say goodbye…"

Angie bit her lower lip softly, shaking her head. "No, I can't… Like I said – if he cared, he would be here. And even then he probably doesn't care about me the way I do about him…"

Angie looked up at Leslie as her face brightened up suddenly, a wave of confusion passing over the blonde and settling directly on her face, as shown by the narrowing of her usually large green eyes.

"What…?" she asked, getting no response as Leslie just grew more and more excited, clasping her hands over her mouth to hide her giant smile.

"Leslie! Will you tell me what your deal is?!" Angie exclaimed under her breath, just as her best friend pulled her hands away from her mouth to speak.

"He cares…" she said in an "aww" sort of tone, watching as Angie grew even more confused.

"What are you…"

And before Angie could finish the rest of her sentence, Leslie placed each of her hands on Angie's shoulders and whirled her in a 180, stopping her and holding her firmly still as Leslie showed her what she was talking about.

There, at the top of the stairs, standing just in front of the now closed double doors, was an explanation to Leslie's sudden change in behavior. And though she was seeing it with her own two eyes, it took a few seconds of concentration for Angie to fully realize just what she was staring at.

Slowly but surely though, the confusion bled from her face, replaced with a soft, sincere smile, her eyes still full of questions as she held a stare across the room, feeling herself take a small step forward and away from Leslie's grasp.

And as he slowly descended the stairs, his eyes stuck on hers, Angie felt the pain in her heart dissipate when he walked her way, the once nearly-broken organ now skipping beats like crazy.

Though she had doubted her before, Angie suddenly realized that Leslie was right – Derek really did care…

..For had he not, she wouldn't have been staring at him that very second.

A giant grin on his face, Tyler watched Derek slowly shuffle toward Angie, motioning to everyone else in the room - and within seconds, the doctor and nurse were alone together.

Gazing at him intently and wondering what had changed his mind, Angie took a second to look him over as he hesitantly closed the distance between them, realizing that she didn't ever remember seeing him look so handsome. His hair was slicked down and miraculously combed for once, his body dressed in a black suit with a light blue shirt and pinstriped tie, and on his left wrist, he was wearing the watch she had given him for his birthday just a short time ago. In his right hand he held a small, unwrapped black box with a large, hot pink bow tied around it, keeping it closed. She noticed it only when he reached over and placed it on a vacant table, shortly after sliding his hands into his pockets. His stare turned toward the ground until he reached her, and then he slowly brought his brown eyes upward, afraid that she was going to be upset with him.

Though when he looked up he was greeted with a tiny smirk, which instantly mirrored on his own face the second he noticed it.

"Hey…" he said softly, watching her smirk turn into a happy smile. "…Sorry I'm late…"

Angie breathed a sigh of relief, letting a small giggle go in the process as she smacked his arm, giggles growing as he laughed as well. "You scared me… I really thought you weren't coming!" she exclaimed, a furrow forming in her forehead as she watched him turn uncomfortable.

"Well…" he said, looking down at his feet, which he shifted on. "…To be honest, I wasn't going to… but, it would've been the stupidest thing I ever would've done."

Angie smiled and then frowned again, remembering what he had said first. She grabbed him by the crook of his elbow and walked him over to the nearest table, sitting down and turning her chair to face him.

"Derek…" she said, placing both of her hands gently on his knees. "Derek, I'm so sorry if I hurt you… that honestly, was never my goal. If anything, by not telling you I was trying NOT to hurt you…"

She stopped in the middle of her sentence, seeing that she had unconsciously began to rub her thumbs over the tops of his knees. A blush formed on her cheeks as she slowed the motion quickly to a stop.

"I just… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."

The end of her apology turned into a whisper as a lump rose in her throat. She thought about leaving her head down but realized that showing him her tears would show him that she was sincere – that she really did care for him.

"I know that I'm probably the last person you want to see right now…" she said, noticing his expression melt into sadness when he saw her tear-rimmed eyes staring back at him. "But…"

"Angie…" he interjected, shakily placing his hands on top of hers to try to comfort her, but also, to try to comfort himself. "Angie, I'm not mad at you…"

"You're not?" she sniffled.

"No…" he replied softly, leaning forward in his seat and giving her hands a gentle squeeze. "Me not coming tonight had nothing to do with being mad at you, or hating you, or not wanting to wish you well…"

Angie reached up and wiped a tear from her eye, cocking her head slightly to the right as she asked him the question he dreaded the most.

"Well… then, why weren't you going to come?"

All he could do was blink at her, willing himself to stay silent even though he was deafened by the voice in his mind screaming everything he had ever wanted to say to her… and then some.

"It's…"

_...that the idea of you leaving makes me sick?_

"Um, I just…"

_...feel useless if you're not by my side?_

"…I…"

_...am completely head over heels crazy for you?_

"It's nothing…"

He willed himself to look at her, knowing that if he avoided eye contact, she would instantly know he was lying.

She raised an eyebrow at him – she didn't need him to avoid eye contact to know when he was lying to her. And had it been any other topic, any other time, she would've pressed it with no mercy whatsoever.

But as she readied herself to berate him, she stopped, noticing a pained look in his eyes – one that she had never seen before. One that made her heart thump painfully in her chest, seeing that he was so distraught about something - one that made her realize that whatever he was hiding, he most likely didn't wish to talk about.

But also, one that reminded her of the pain she felt every time she remembered that he didn't love her like she loved him.

So instead of pressing him she just smiled softly and squeezed his hands back.

"Well, in any case… I'm very glad you made it." she said, a small smile forming on his lips. "I-It… wouldn't, have been the same without you…"

Her voice lulled into a whisper as she finished the sentence, looking away from him as she blushed.

"I had to come… I couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye."

Her eyes wandered upward until they found his, which were looking back and forth, an almost… nervous, expression on his face.

"Derek…?" she asked, prompting him to look at her. "Are you okay…?"

He looked down again and then back up, a chuckle escaping him.

"Y-Yeah…" he stuttered. "I just…"

"_Tell her!"_

"_Oh who are you kidding, you suck with words..."_

"_Who cares!? Open with that!"_

Feeling her stare, Derek grew more nervous as he softly traced the backs of her hands with his thumbs.

"Well, even though I talk a lot, when I have something important to say, I can never find the right words…"

Angie giggled once and then stopped, seeing that he was being serious.

He shifted in his seat just a little bit, trying with everything he had to get himself to keep talking.

"And honestly…" he sighed, looking up at her hesitantly. Her eyes were still on him, the beautiful green orbs searching his eyes when they met to see what he possibly could be talking about.

He continued on slowly, feeling himself shake on the inside, his lips beginning to speak before he knew what he was saying.

"The real reason I almost didn't come tonight…"

* * *

**Cliffie!**

**Sorry, I had to cut it off here because I need to get the chapter JUST right, and being that it revolves around a song it's going to be kind of hard... I've never done anything even CLOSE to a song-fic before, so It'll be kicking me in the behind!**

**Anyway - IS HE GONNA DO IT?! IS HEEEE?!**

**You'll see - next time!**


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